The time when your supermarket starts reducing items with yellow stickers revealed

Items are usually reduced because they are about to go out of date, the goods are damaged or no longer being sold - but we reveal the best time to hit your local supermarket to pick up the bargains

By Andrea Downey and Tara Evans

17th January 2018, 1:40 pm

Updated: 5th March 2018, 4:49 pm

FINDING a yellow sticker bargain on good quality food is a real win - but did you know there is actually a specific time to visit the supermarket to take advantage of these deals?

The reduced items often mean you are saving up to 75 per cent off the retail price, and if you have a big freezer then its the perfect way to stock up on the best brands for less.

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Getting the best yellow sticker bargain depends on the time of day you go to the supermarket

MoneySavingExpert has updated its list to help you know the time to visit your supermarket to pick up a bargain.

There are three reasons food is reduced in the supermarket; it has a short date, it is superficially damaged or it is no longer being sold - think seasonal items like Easter eggs.

Supermarkets tend to slap a yellow sticker on these items after lunch and just before closing time.

Tesco starts its reductions as early as 8am, while Asda starts around 7am.

When does your supermarket start reducing prices?

YELLOW sticker discounts allow shoppers to nab a bargain, often stocking up on more expensive items like meat and fish.

MoneySavingExpert has put together a list of reduction times per store, although it does vary depending on the location of the supermarket. As a rough guide, the first yellow stickers tend to appear mid-morning, and silly-price reductions begin early evening, when stores cut prices by 75 per cent and more.

Here's where it thinks you can spot a bargain, store-by-store:

Asda - Reductions start around 7pm and most have gone by 9pm.

Co-op - Varies by store. Expect 50 per cent discount around 5pm, then 75 per cent by 8pm.

M&S Food - Final reductions at 6.30pm in stores that close at 7pm and 8pm at stores that close at 9pm. Some items marked down due to sell-by date after lunchtime rush.

Tesco - No hard and fast rule. Some big stores start reductions at 8am, others don't start until early evening.

Aldi - Doesn't reduce prices during course of the day.

Lidl - Not enough info to say

Waitrose - Dependent on store but usually just before closing time, according to shoppers.

The big 75 per cent discount is usually just before closing time.

It is best to wait until the end of the day to bag your bargains and keep an eye out for food with two or three sticker piled on top of each other because that is where you will get the best value for money.

Be sure to check all areas of the shop for yellow stickers, especially areas where products don't have a long shelf life.

Smart shoppers will also make a note of the best days to visit their supermarket to get a good deal.

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Work out when the shop is closed for a public holiday and go the day before, that way you will get the reductions for the day you are there and the yellow stickers for the day it is closed.

Don't get stuck at the checkout by scanning the wrong barcode though.

Double-check when you scan the item through that you have scanned the barcode on the yellow sticker rather than the regular retain barcode, otherwise your bargain hunting skills will fall short of the finish line.

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